12 Days of Cerebral palsy

By Tylia L. Flores

On the First day of Christmas
My CP brought to me
1200 mg of ibuprofen
On the second day of Christmas
My CP brought to me
One shot of Botox
And spasms in the knees.
On the third day of Christmas
My CP brought to me
Two AFOs
Two random seizures
And flashing lights.
On the fourth day of Christmas
My CP brought to me
Four visits with the neurologist
Three new prescriptions,
Two Long calls with the insurance,
And a Long-lasting headache,
On the fifth day of Christmas
My CP brought to me,
Lack of coordination,
Four trips while walking,
Three new scratches,
Two tightening hamstrings
And a brand-new Lit Gait.
On the Sixth day of Christmas
My CP brought to me,
Little hand splints,
A soreness,
Four weeks of casting
Three sleepless nights,
Two rounds of Muscle Relaxers,
And a reason to find strength
On the Seventh day of Christmas
My CP brought to me,
A Migraine headache,
Random stiffness,
Constipation,
Four days of drinking protein shakes hoping you poop,
Three boxes of medicine balls,
Two therapy sessions,
And stretches that you hate,
On the Eighth day of Christmas,
My CP brought to me,
Depression and anxiety
And a new prescription for Fluoxetine,

On the Ninth day of Christmas
My CP brought to me
A Coke spilling all over the floor,
People feeling pity,
People staring,
Little embarrassment,
A Random person asking if they could pray for you,
Four times the annoyance,
Three times the pointing,
Two power chairs dying,
And a battery for the chair,
On the tenth day of Christmas
My CP brought to me,
Some back pain,
A bunch of stiffness in the arms,
Tightness in the jaw,
24 hours of worry,
A little bit of caregiving,
A bunch of dieting
Four days of craving sweets,
Three-foot spasms,
Two eating plans,
And a caregiver to remind you of what you can’t eat,
On the Eleventh day of Christmas
My CP brought to me,
Life lasting friendships
Many Endless zoom calls,
A Community that understand you,
Many reasons to wear green,
A CP Ribbon,
Little green light
A bunch of shining smiles
Four stories to tell
Three reasons to keep going
Two determine groups
And a song for all of us to sing
On the Twelfth day of Christmas
My CP brought to me,
All it’s good vibes,
Adventures for one and all,
Some mishaps,
A bunch of new lessons learned,
Advocating and educating,
Sightseeing and learning,
Little children learning about inclusion and disabilities
A better world for all
Four new beginnings,
Three different surgeries
Two body cast
And a story for the world…